Passage+Masters

=**Bushman & Haas’ Ch. 8 “Diversity in Young Adult Literature” **= =** LITERATURE CIRCLE **= = =
 * PAIR 2 - //PASSAGE MASTERS//: **

Your job is to locate at least 3 particularly important sections of the reading that the class should look back on. The idea is to help people notice the **most** interesting, informative, helpful, puzzling, or important sections of the text. You decide which passages or paragraphs are worth reviewing and provide a brief reason. Then decide who will share the information with the class. Be sure to provide the location of each passage (page and the paragraph) as well.

"Diversity is more than skin deep, such as race, ethnicity, gender or the way someone dresses. Sometimes, diversity can be seen in terms of sexuality, religion, an internal disease, or even morals. Be it outwardly noticeable or not, diversity encompasses every classroom in America, which is why it is crucial to introduce diverse literature in the classroom." (194 paragraph 3)

Students need to make connections, and this is what multicultural teaching is about. The mission is clear: Honoring all students' lives is crucial (202 paragraph 2)

Today's classrooms no longer house 30 students viewed as one. Now, a classroom consists of 30 individuals, each with a variety of diversities. Adolescents and their parents increasingly desire their background, culture, situation, beliefs and values be represented in the classroom and literature read, as well as learning of others'. One size no longer fits all-even among students within like groups (p 186 paragraph 4)

"Rather than imposing a set of preconceived notions about the 'right' way to respond to a piece, teachers should assist students in developing their own understandings in the context of their personal emotions and experiences" (p. 191, 4th paragraph)

"With these thoughts in mind, it is important to provide all of our students with literature that would be somehow diverse to its reader. We must not stereotype our students by the reading we recommend and assign. It is important to provide students with literature that features characters like them and familiar situations. But it is just as--and probably more--important to provide them with works that portray differences. We learn more about ourselves through exposure, comparison, and discussion with others" (p. 194, next to last paragraph).

"The authors of this chapter encourage teachers to continue to broaden their definitions of diversity to include all aspects. The texts mentioned in this chapter show that fictional teens, like their adolescent counterparts, deal with being different in all ways. The classroom teacher sensitive to the needs of his or her students will continue to search for quality selections that can touch whole class groups or individuals searching for a sense of self" (p. 202, first paragraph).